We left you, dear reader, last Tuesday, June 26, just a few days into camp. We have since happily fallen head over heels into camp!!!!! Tuesday was our first full normal day complete with two chuggim (electives) and kitot (classes) in the morning, and schiah klalit (free swim), limud schia (instructional swim), and another fun peulah (activity) in the afternoon.
Most weeks, Achla Yom (Trip Day) acts as our fun, alternative day to the regular schedule. For instance yesterday on Monday, July 2, Gurim had a super amazingly awesome fantastic fun trip to a nearby water park known as Candia Springs. The park offered chanichim (campers) a relief from the heat as they jumped into water rides, slides and pools. Before returning to camp, we had one more hafta’a (surprise) in store: Glida (ice cream)!!!!!!!!!!!! While Achla Yom is usually defined by glorious hikes, and exceptional beaches and parks, last week’s Achla Yom was a little different. Because it was only the third day of camp, last Wednesday June 27, was not an Achla Yom in full, but rather a half day.
Every year aydat Gurim pairs up with aydat Maalot in groups of two or three. These matches offer the older chanichim the beginning of leadership roles in the machaneh, while providing the younger chanichim with a chance to connect with older, “cooler” chanichim. We call the combo Ma-gu, and we call the peulot that they do together Ma-gu-pu. Our first Ma-Gu-Pu of the summer was last Wednesday for an entire afternoon. We started all together in the Beit Am (gym) where we met our Maalot buddies, and got to know them with a variety of serious (How many siblings do you have?) and silly (Do you prefer carrot or cucumber?) questions. Suddenly, instead of asking a question, we projected a video onto the screen and watched a silly clip of an alien invading camp (check it out on the Yavneh Facebook page). In order to protect ourselves from the alien, we had to work with our buddies to make a protective goop – slime – using glue, starch, water and food coloring. The buddies then spent the next hour working together, getting messy together, and most of all laughing together! Today, Wednesday, July 3, we’ll be having our second Ma-gu-pu (free swim).
Last Thursday was a rainy day and a chance to start our Zimriyah songs!!!!!! We are so excited to share that all the Gurs are all amazing singers. We are keeping our spirit alive and we believe that surely this is the year Gurim wins Zim!!!!!
With my last words let me mention Shabbat! Shabbat is the best part of camp, “I’ll look forward to Shabbat all this week” said one chanich after experiencing his first Yavneh Shabbat experience. Friday night we wear our best clothes and head down to Mifkad (line up) then danced and sang at ReleSh (an acronym ruach lefnei Shabbat which means Spirit before Shabbat). From there we headed up to the amphitheater where we welcomed Shabbat with Kabbalat Shabbat. Dinner followed and filled every chanich to the brim with wonderful food. Shabbat morning we had a late wakeup -8:30 – and headed to a brownie snack, tefillot, a special sugar-cereal, fruit and yogurt breakfast, Musaf as a whole camp, and finally free time!!!! All the tzrifim cleaned super well, received five scores of ten on nikayon (cleanup), and thus earned glida as a reward.
We have had such an amazing week getting to know all your kids and we can’t wait for what the next week has in store!!
b’Ahava,
Meital and Benjo
